Shower door for bathtub



March 20, 1962 A. R. FlNKEL 3,

SHOWER DOOR FOR BATHTUB Filed May 27, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ABRAM R. FINKEL ATTORNEY March 20, 1962 A. R. FlNKEL 3,025,574

SHOWER DOOR FOR BATHTUB Filed May 27, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

ABRAM R. FINKEL United States Patent U 3,025,574 SHOWER DOOR FOR BATHTUB Abram R. Finkel, Jenkintown, Pa. (2nd St. Pike, Southampton, Pa.) Filed May 27, 1959, Ser. No. 816,287 1 Claim. (Cl. 20--16) My invention relates to a shower door for a bathtub, and more particularly relates to cooperative sliding shower doors for enclosing the bath facility when in use and permitting access to the interior of the tub by sliding one of the doors into face to face abutment with the other door.

My previously filed patent application, Ser. No. 748,398 filed July 14, 1958, for a shower door for bathtub, discloses a similar arrangement.

It is well known that the usual cooperative sliding shower doors for bathtubs permit only a limited open space for the bather to enter when one door is slidably engaged within the supporting track into face to face orientation with the other. Moreover, the only manner in which the interior of the prior art doors could be thoroughly cleaned was from the interior of the tub with the doors closed.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to construct a pair of slidable shower doors for a bathtub wherein the doors also may be rotated into a position to provide the entire breadth above the tub as an access space for the bather.

Another object of my invention is to provide shower doors for a bathtub wherein each side of the door is accessible from the exterior of the tub for cleaning purposes.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sliding enclosure for a bathtub wherein each door thereof is adapted to be pivoted into flush engagement with the end wall of the bathing facility or to present either surface of the door to the exterior of the tub.

Another object of my invention is to provide a pivotally mounted slidable shower door which may be substantially held in any position from a fully closed to a fully opened door position.

Another object of my invention is to provide a slidable and pivotal shower door for a bathing facility which is easily rotated into a closed maximum opened position and which will be held in any position aforementioned.

Another object of my invention is to provide a slidable and pivoted shower door which, when in closed position, assures against water splashing outwardly from the tub onto the floor.

Other objects of my invention are to provide an improved device of the character described, that is easily and economically produced, which is sturdy in construction and which is highly effective in operation.

With the above and related objects in view, my invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying .drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a pivotally supported slidable shower door embodying my invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof showing the doors in pivoted position.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the upper track supporting the doors.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the lower track for supporting the doors.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, partly fragmentary, of the upper track and carriage for the doors and also shows a part of the lower track for the doors.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the upper carriage and the door supporting member.

"ice

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view showing the clamp means for holding the door in position.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary portion of the ends of the door.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view of the hinge on the door and the lower slide.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, I show a pair of pivotally supported shower doors, generally designated as A, slidably cooperating to enclose a bathing facility such as a bathtub, generally designated as B.

The bathing facility includes a vertical rear wall 10 and spaced parallel vertical end walls 12 and 14 within which 15; a tub 16 is installed. The bathtub 16 has a front wall 18, and a bottom track, generally designated as C, that is securely supported upon the upper surface of the bathtub intermediate the end walls 12 and 16.

An upper track, generally designated as D, is horizontally disposed between the endwalls 12 and 14 spaced above the track C, whereby the doors A are supported and guided between the two tracks.

The lower track C is substantially W-shaped in crosssection having outer rails 20 and 22 upwardly extending from the edges of a medial base portion 24. Inwardly turned lips 20A and 22A horizontally project from the upper portions of the rails 20 and 22 respectively. A central rail 26 having flanges 26A and 26B outwardly extending therefrom upwardly projects from the base 24 intermediate the rails 20 and 22. The flanges 26A and 26B are on the same level with and spaced from the respective lips 20A and 22A and define therewith longitudinally extending spaced parallel lower guides for the doors A.

The upper track D is substantially A-shaped in crosssection having arms 30 and 32 downwardly extending from a closed bight portion 34. The cross bar of the A is split to define inwardly facing horizontal members 36 and 38. A head 36A upwardly projects from the interior portion of the member 36 while a similar head 38A correspondingly projects from the member 38.

A carriage E1 supporting door A1 longitudinally rides within the upper track D upon the member 36 and a carriage E2 supporting door A2 longitudinally rolls on the member 38.

Each of the carriages E1 and E2 comprises a channel shaped member having spaced horizontal portions 40 and 42 extending from a vertical leg 44. Spaced rollers 46 are supported on a horizontal axis in the vertical leg 44 and ride within the upper track D upon the member 36 or the member 38.

A clip 48 is formed on top of the horizontal frame member 50. Each of the clips 48 and 48 act as bracing stop for the upper portion of the doors to maintain planar alignment thereof with the upper and lower tracks during sliding operation. Each clip 48 may be riveted to the frame member by a bolt '50 or it maybe welded in position.

A lower bracket F1 pivotally supports the door A1 upon the flanges 20A, 26A whereas a bracket F2 similarly supports door A2 upon flanges 26B, 22A.

The lower brackets F are each substantially I-shaped in cross-section having spaced parallel horizontal arms 52 and 54 interconnected by a necked portion 56. As is apparent, each bracket F1 and F2 is longitudinally slidable by the slotted portions along the side of the neck 56 upon the spaced adjacent flanges on the lower track C.

Each door A comprises a central plastic or glazed portion 60 peripherally enclosed by a metal frame 62. A pin 64 upwardly projects from the central upper por- 3 tion of the frame 62 and in pivotally supported within the longitudinal center of the upper carriage E.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 of the drawing, arm 66 has one end pivotally secured to the lower carriage and arm 68 has one end pivotally secured to the door. The respective opposite ends of arms 66 and 68 are pivotally secured together. This arrangement enables the door to be pivoted to any desired position and frictionally held therein. The clips supports each door A in the slide.

It is to be observed that the lower and upper edges of the door frame 62 are adjacently spaced from the respective lower and upper tracks'whereby rotation of the doors A1, A2 may be accomplished and the hinges 66 and 68 prevent the doors from flying open.

The track C has a notch 72 in the outer rail adjacent the end wall 12 to permit pin 70 in door A1 to be Withdrawn therethrough and a notch 74in the outer rail 22 allows pin 70 of door A2 to be withdrawn when rotation of either door A is desired.

As is apparent from the'foregoing description, engage ment of the clips 48 by thegend of the flange 42 and the lower track guide enablesjthe door A1 or A2 to be operated as a conventional sliding shower enclosure since they will not rattle or tilt. fl-lowever, by disengaging the respective guide pin 70 through the end notch in lower track C, each door may be rotated through 180 and present the opposed surface thereof to the exterior of the bathing facility. Furthermore, by rotating the doors through 90, each door may be slidably positioned into a plane parallel to the vertical end walls 12 and'14 immediately adjacent to either whereby the full width of the tub wall 18 is available for access to the bather.

The'hinged arms 66 an'dL68 limit .the"rotation of each of the doors about the vertically located pivots and also serve to prevent each of the door A1 or A2 from swinging freely, Hence, when a person enters or leaves the shower or tub he may angle one or the other of the doors slightly and it will not swing freely. The clips on the top of the door prevent the doors from tilting when in closed position.

Although my invention-has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustra tive rather'than limiting, since the invention may be vari ously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to b4 determined as claimed.

I claim:

A shower enclosure for a bathtub comprising uppe and lower track carriages, upper and lower tracks as sociated with said bathtub in which said track carriage slide, rollers associated with said upper track carriagt which are adapted to move transversely along said uppe track, a shower door vertically disposed intermediate sai carriages-and pivotally secured thereto, one of said car riages including clip means which "cooperates "with sail door to maintain planar alignment thereof with said; up per and lower tracks during the sliding of-said door 'mean associated with said door and tracks to restrain said doo from pivoting on said carriages except at one poi nt'alon, said tracks, and frictional hinge means'securingsaid-doo to one of: carriages whereby saiddo'or may tionally held in a position towhich-itis pivoted,; "saii frictional hinge means comprising a first arm 'pivetau; secured at 'one end to said door, a second arm pivotall secured atione end to said carriage, with the respectivi free ends of said arms being pivotally'and frictionall secured "tol ea'ch other.

References Cited in the file of this patent: ;.UNITED STATES PATENTS l13,476 f-. Williams Apr. 4, 187- 610389 Broonie. ..Sept. 6, 1891 1,230,345 Urinson June 19, 191 l,24l,28 5. Rosenzweig a Sept. 25, 191' 2,386,510 Shafer Oct. 9, 194. 2,747,200- Fihkel May 29, 2,784,459 Anderberget a1, Mar. 12, 195

-; FOREIGN PATENTS I 499,054f France .Tanl 30, 192 Great Britain Dec. 3, 193' 

